What burnt popcorn taught me about gratitude

You can read the full issue here: Link

The greatest trick I’ve learned in living a happy life is always trying to see the world through a grateful lens. This is the story of how a bag of burnt popcorn taught me lessons about gratitude.

Few nights ago, my fiance and I had made plans to have a low-key date on a weekday night: to hang-out at home, watch a movie, and eat this special popcorn we had purchased during our trip to Maine. It was a complete pop-corn on a cob, which apparently was made with corn harvested all the way back in October and then dried in an un-heated greenhouse all the way to March.

[insert picture of the cob]

The instructions told us this:

• Place cob in a paper bag
• Put it in your microwave on high for 3 to 5 minutes
• Watch closely for popping

Simple enough right?

But after we finished microwaving, and when we opened the paper bag, we were greeted with a jet of smoke. Panicking, we immediately took the paper bag to our balcony to let it air out. We also opened all the windows in our living room and study so we can let out all the smoke.

At this point, we knew that we had totally decimated our popcorn and the only option we have is trying to let what happened ruin our night. We sat down and I pressed play on my Roku.

30 minutes into the movie, we heard loud knocking on the door.

Thump, thump, thump.
Who could be knocking at our door at 1 am in the morning?

We opened the door expecting to see a neighbor, but instead we saw four firemen, armed head to toe with equipment, all with looks of concern on their faces. The one who was knocking asked us if we smelled any smoke, and that’s when we realized what was going on.

Our burnt popcorn had accidentally caused all our neighbors to be woken up and we had wasted the time of the firemen stationed in our neighborhood.

But instead spiraling in shame, it made me realize this big truth that I am learning time and time again:

There are so many things we can be grateful for in our daily lives that are often invisible to us.

Before that day, I had never encountered a firemen face-to-face. I’ve passed by a lot a ton of fire stations around New York, marveled at dozens of fire trucks, but have never really taken the time to think about what they do for the community, neighborhood, and city that I live in and love.

As the flashing red and white lights start to disappear and the fire trucks drove away, I couldn’t help but feel this colossal gratitude for the responsiveness and the safety that these firemen provided.

It also reminded me yet again that I am supported by more people in my life than I often realize.

I am also here writing this newsletter because of so much support I have received over the years, both visible and invisible to me. And while swimming in these positive emotions, it also becomes much easier to for me to just enjoy this process, regardless of how many subscribers I have or will have.

If you are still reading this, I am so grateful for you being here. And if it is challenging for you to tap feeling of gratitude right now, try this mini exercise with me today:

The exercise or technique is called “Gratitude Trail” and the goal is to help us realize and appreciate the infinite number of people we can be grateful for.

Take for example, the device you are using to read this content. Try to imagine how many people it took to design, package, and ship this to you. Zoom in on that one person who handled part of that process, and imagine his/her life and picture the partner, friends, and family that supports them. Keep going as far as and as deep as you like. Don’t be afraid to go on tangents, like picturing the tree that the person is leaning on while taking a break from work.

If this exercise makes you think about the people in your life that you appreciate and value, don’t forget tell them you’re grateful for them.
Go ahead, they would be ecstatic to hear it.

Thank you again for reading, and I’ll see you week! ❤️